The shifty-eyed man had always known he was a downright cunning merchant. But when he heard Gu Han’s words, he was completely stunned.
What the hell?
He’d been in business for years, but this was the first time he had ever met someone so arrogant! Not only did this person refuse to pay, but he even demanded they pay him for sparing their lives?
Was there still any law? Any justice?
Yet the moment he saw the look in Gu Han’s eyes, he realized the young man was dead serious. His expression turned grim.
“You brat, you seem impressive. You must be from a sect or a powerful clan. But this is Tianhuang City! If you insist on breaking the rules…” In the next moment, his tone shifted sharply as he barked, “Kill him!”
BOOM!
Multiple surges of spiritual energy exploded upward as several cultivators charged straight toward Gu Han.
Leading them was a burly, murderous man whose cultivation had reached the 7th stage Spirit Palace Realm. He gripped a crescent-shaped saber glowing with icy light and brought it down toward Gu Han’s head with full force.
But…
There was no slicing sound, no splash of blood or flesh. The world suddenly fell eerily silent.
The other cultivators rushing in from all directions froze mid-charge, their faces blank and their movements stuck.
“What the…”
Their pupils shrank as they all focused on a single spot.
The man at the front had struck with full power. Yet now, his crescent saber was only a few centimeters away from Gu Han’s head—and it couldn’t move a bit further.
Despite the explosion of his aura and the fierce blade intent, it didn’t even graze a hair on Gu Han’s head.
As the attacker felt the overwhelming pressure at close range, his scalp went numb with terror. He could clearly sense a terrifying field of law surrounding Gu Han. The moment his aura touched it, it was entirely suppressed and immobilized.
Before everyone’s widened eyes, Gu Han slowly raised his gaze. At the same time, he lifted a single finger—without using any spiritual energy.
His cold voice rang out like ice, “With skills like this, you really shouldn’t be in the business of abducting children.”
As the words fell, his fingertip touched the crescent blade, and he flicked it lightly.
DING!
A crisp metallic sound echoed in the silent air. Though as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, it rang out like thunder in their ears.
That crescent blade, purchased at a heavy price, shattered instantly like fragile glass. It exploded into countless shards of metal.
But the force from Gu Han’s finger didn’t stop there. It traveled along the attacker’s arm, spreading rapidly through his entire body.
CRACK!
Amidst the sudden burst of blood mist, the black-robed cultivator’s limbs were blown apart piece by piece. His flesh and bones were ruthlessly destroyed in an instant!
He didn’t even have time to scream before his body was blasted into a mist of blood!
Only after a few seconds did a heart-piercing, terrified scream fill the air.
It didn’t come from the man who was now nothing more than a cloud of blood—he was already obliterated—but from the shifty-eyed man and the others around him.
Their earlier vicious expressions had completely vanished, replaced by faces drained of blood, distorted by horror.
Their legs went limp as they collapsed to the ground like sacks of mud. Their faces twisted uncontrollably from shock, their pupils filled with fear and disbelief. Even their souls trembled on the verge of collapse.
That man Gu Han had just killed used to be a proud genius of a sect in his youth. Though later expelled due to certain crimes, he had been hired with great expense as a bodyguard.
With cultivation at the 7th stage Spirit Palace Realm, he held status even in Beihuang City.
It was one of the reasons the merchant’s operations could grow so large.
But now, the powerful cultivator he’d spent so much money on… was killed by a single flick from this white-robed youth!
“…!?”
Outside, Luo Baizhi had already drawn her sword, preparing to rush in and help. But the moment she saw the scene inside, she froze in place, staring blankly, unable to believe what was right in front of her.
By the time she entered, the strongest of those cultivators had already exploded into a mist of blood.
Though she hadn’t seen clearly how Gu Han had attacked, she could tell the battle had ended in an instant with absolute dominance.
But that was a 7th stage Spirit Palace Realm cultivator!
Senior Brother was only at the 4th stage Spirit Palace Realm, wasn’t he?
Even with outstanding talent, shouldn’t he need at least some time to deal with such an opponent?
The middle-aged man, now completely terrified, broke out in cold sweat. Trembling, he hurriedly said, “Sir… this was all a misunderstanding!”
He panicked as he spoke, “If you want to take her, just take her! There’s no need to pay any spirit stones…”
But the moment he saw Gu Han’s meaningful smile, he quickly changed his tune.
“It was our mistake for offending you, sir! We’re willing to offer 3,000 spirit stones as compensation!”
“No. Your ransom price was 3,000 spirit stones earlier,” Gu Han said with a soft chuckle and shook his head. “But the market has changed. It’s 30,000 spirit stones now.”
The middle-aged man was stunned.
What the hell!?
30,000 spirit stones!?
Why don’t you just go rob someone?!
Wasn’t this guy already robbing them?
A flash of desperation appeared in the man’s eyes. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine… please wait a moment, sir. I’ll get them for you…”
As he spoke, his right hand subtly moved to his waist.
At the same time, the others—initially intimidated by Gu Han—exchanged glances in secret. They had decided to gamble everything in a last-ditch effort.
30,000 spirit stones was an astronomical amount to them.
No money, only lives!
In the next moment, the man yanked a jade pendant from his waist and crushed it with force.
A unique power sealed inside was released instantly and surged into his body.
His aura skyrocketed in a flash.
But instead of charging Gu Han directly, he poured all that power into his speed and shot like an arrow toward Han Mengyao!
He knew he had no chance of defeating Gu Han. His only hope of survival was to grab Han Mengyao and use her as a hostage to reverse the situation.
The others understood his plan instantly. They activated their cultivation at once and moved to distract Gu Han from the sides.
“Senior Brother, watch out!” Luo Baizhi cried out and leapt forward with her sword.
“I don’t need help from trash,” Gu Han said coldly, cutting off her action mid-step.
Zheng!
With a piercing sword cry, a long sword enveloped in cold, sharp light shot out of a spatial vortex. Without Gu Han lifting a finger, it tore through the air on its own, slashing, thrusting, and sweeping!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Roaring through the night, countless blinding white lines wove through the air, forming a sword net made of intertwined sword energy.
When the final beam of sword light flashed like a comet through the long night…
Silence fell once again. The crisscrossing sword lights gradually faded and vanished.
The divine sword returned to its sheath and hovered quietly at Gu Han’s side.
A cold wind blew by, pressing the world’s pause button once again.
Creak…
Then came a chilling, flesh-squirming sound—so horrifying it made everyone’s scalp tingle.